Chapter Text
Morning sunshine filtered through Chase's window, making it difficult for him to sleep a few extra minutes. His alarm was set for the perfect amount of beauty rest, but the springtime sun had other plans.
"Chase! Breakfast is ready!" his grandpa, Ralph, called from downstairs.
Seconds later, Chase's alarm blared. Alastair's newest song filled his room, giving Chase the final push he needed to get out of bed. Careful not to rub his eyes, he dragged himself into the bathroom for his morning routine.
"You've got this, Chasey," Chase pointed at himself in the mirror, smiling confidently as he towel-dried his hair. "New season. New opportunities! Everything will be coming up Cha—"
"Will you hurry up in there?!" A muffled voice cried from outside the bathroom door. Deacon, Chase's cousin, grunted loudly and knocked a few times.
Sheesh, he never lets me finish my pep talks. Maybe I should schedule those after my facial cleanse but before the moisturizing.
Chase pulled a fresh, white T-shirt over his head and wriggled into a pair of jeans before vacating the bathroom.
"There you go, Dorkin. Don't your classes start in like an hour? You should've left by now."
Deacon blinked a few times and shoved past him wordlessly, groaning as the door slammed behind him. Chase rolled his eyes and bolted down the stairs. Grandpa's gluten-free waffles weren't going to eat themselves.
"Welcome to the land of the living," Chase greeted his cousin as Deacon schleped toward the dining table.
Chase chuckled and flipped on the television. As of late, it was nothing but news of rising crime in Sugar Springs. It was unbearable at times, especially when Chase had to watch some random masked person rocket to stardom.
Stardom wasn't the right word. This person showed up one day in a tight, black body suit and mask and took down several high-level criminals in less than ten minutes. It was impressive, and the media ate it up.
"Again!?" Chase groaned, pointing his syrup-covered fork at the television, "How many times does this guy need to show off? We get it, you're the hero of Sugar Springs."
"Oh my god, please shut up," Deacon sneered into his cereal, "your obsession is driving me crazy."
Chase ignored Deacon and shoved another bite into his mouth. "And what kind of hero name is Onyx Spider anyway? Sounds more like a villain if you ask me."
The anchor on the television droned on and on about the amazing feats of the town's hero. Chase washed his plate and decided to tune out the rest, making sure his annoyance with Mr. Popular Hero Man didn't bleed into the rest of his day.
~~~~~~
Chase always looked forward to a new semester. A fresh start, new friends, and the possibility for talent scouts roaming the campus to see his true potential. His cousin thought the spring in his step was weird, but Deacon was the weird one.
Who studied for a career they had no passion for, no hope beyond graduation?
Not Chase.
Communications was his way into the entertainment industry. Sure, it was the long way around, but it was going to work. If he weren't a signed popstar by the time he graduated in a couple of years, then he would get a job working alongside some hotshot who would help streamline his path to stardom.
A solid plan, really.
Chase smoothed his hair before pulling the door open to the first class of the day. The Business Communications 101 room was already pretty full, even with ten minutes left until the class officially began.
A few groups of students chattered together. Some had turned completely around in their seats, legs kicked up on the desks. There were a few he recognized from prior classes, but no one he connected with enough to call his friend. Not a single chair was available around the chatty students, which was mildly disappointing.
They're probably super fun, Chase thought.
He shrugged, reminding himself that it was only day one, and he would have plenty of chances to engage with them. A cluster of seats was open toward the back. Chase made a note to arrive even earlier the following day, so as not to make the back of the class his usual spot.
Dropping his bag, Chase slid into the seat closest to the window and pulled out his laptop. He surveyed the room, attempting to eavesdrop on four different conversations. His attention was pulled toward the door as another student entered.
As if he were sucked into the cheesy romcom movies Deacon loved so much, everything went hazy as a dark-haired man walked slowly toward him. A baggy black shirt with a large, anatomically correct ribcage fell off his shoulder, accentuating the pale skin beneath it.
Chase swallowed hard and sat up a little straighter, immediately enamored by this guy. He focused on his piercing blue eyes, which were fixed ahead, zeroing in on the wall directly behind where Chase sat. He waited for eye contact, only to be let down when the hot mall goth instead turned his gaze to the floor, choosing the seat behind him.
Just as he worked up the courage to turn around and start a conversation, the professor slammed a heavy book on the podium, garnering the attention of the entire class.
"Alright, settle down, everyone," the deep voice instructed, "Welcome to the first day of Business Comm—"
"Whoa! Onyx Spider sighting and we missed it?!" A girl toward the front cried out, sliding her chair back and holding up her phone as she jumped to her feet.
Chase watched as the instructor rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, an understanding that there was no way to gain back control of the room until the conversation about Sugar Springs' hero was over.
Perfect, Chase said to himself, A conversation starter.
"Did you hear that?" Chase spun around and rested his chin in his hand. Those gorgeous blues slowly drifted from the desk to meet Chase.
"The Onyx Spider, at it again. Kicking ass and getting all of this media attention!"
The goth looked uninterested. He raised an eyebrow and began to chew on one of his black, perfectly polished nails. He shrugged.
The dang mall goth shrugged.
Chase tilted his head and pushed his brows together. "Do you seriously not care? Or did you not hear them? Or me?"
Again, the stupidly hot, barreling toward infuriating, man shrugged. He clicked his tongue and twisted the two black hoops at the corner of his bottom lip. His mouth moved, but Chase could hardly make out a word he said.
"What was that?"
"I said, I don't care," he practically hissed, "now turn around and leave me alone."
Rendered speechless, Chase clicked his tongue and did as he was told.
So much for a conversation.
Never in the last year had he encountered someone this indifferent about the Onyx Spider.
Sugar Springs was a small town, just inland of the gorgeous coast. Up until two years ago, it was annoyingly quiet and fairly boring. Crime suddenly increased, or rather, it felt sudden for Chase. Perhaps he was too wrapped up in his own dreams to notice any gradual rise.
But out of the darkness came a hero. Most called them a vigilante at first, this mysterious character in a black suit, keeping the town safe practically every single day. Chase was grateful his hometown had someone watching over them, but what irked him was how much media attention this random nobody suddenly received.
Chase worked hard on his popstar persona. He rehearsed dances daily, kept up his vocal lessons, and even started leaning into guitar work. Yet all the Onyx Spider had to do was swing down from a building, punch a few thieves on camera, and the spotlight was theirs.
As much as Chase hated to admit it, the Onyx Spider's moves were always badass. It was no wonder they were all over the news, outside of the obvious, saving the world and all.
After several agonizing minutes of listening to everyone go on and on about the latest accolades of their town hero, the class finally turned their attention from their phones to the professor.
It was difficult for Chase to focus on typing notes when his mind buzzed with ways to have a pleasant conversation with the guy behind him. People were easy. Chase's whole brand was based around being the outgoing, type-A personality in a room full of awkward introverts. There had to be a way in; to at least get the mall goth to smile at him.
He shook his head, trying a little harder to pay attention to the material. Luckily, the first day of any class was reading over the syllabus and discussing expectations for the coming weeks. If Chase missed anything, then he could always use that as a reason to force — or, kindly persuade — a certain someone into being his friend.
"That's it for today. Remember, keep the final assignment in mind. It's a project that will take you most of the semester, so choose your partner wisely. Have a great day, and I will see you all tomorrow."
Chase slammed his laptop closed. The opportunity presented itself on a silver platter. No one else was sitting near them, which meant Chase would have first dibs at asking the moody mall goth to be his partner for their final.
Too easy, Chase snickered to himself.
"Hey man, why don't we—" Chase turned around to ask, but he was gone.
Chase gaped, head whipping around the classroom in search of the mystery man. The guy was nowhere to be seen, not even a glimpse of him running for the door.
"What the…" Chase whispered as he gathered his belongings, completely aghast. "What kind of hurry do you have to be in to flee the classroom that quickly?"
Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Chase headed for the door and shot off a quick text to the group chat he had running with a few of his friends.
[Chase: apparently Onyx Spider did something super cool this morning. not that I care.]
[Simon: some idiots tried to steal a car but clearly forgot that they would end up with their asses kicked by a literal superhero]
[Chase: we have police officers for that. why does the black-tights hero have to step in for all of the glory?]
[Danielle: Careful Chase, your obsession is showing.]
[Chase: not obsession. i'm just annoyed.]
[Chase: anyway hot guy in my biz comm class. gonna totally make him fall for me.]
[Danielle: DejaVu]
[Simon: you say this every semester.]
[Simon: hurry up and get to the cafe.]
Chase rolled his eyes and jogged toward the on-campus coffee shop. There were a couple of hours in between his classes, which allowed him to debrief with his friends and research local talent agencies.
"Chase! Good morning!"
The barista behind the counter smiled widely, her high-pitched voice a soothing melody after the strange hours Chase experienced in class.
Silver had become one of Chase's closest friends. She was also the only barista on campus who remembered or bothered to take the time to remember his allergies. Celiac was no laughing matter, and he was grateful Silver was kind enough to memorize which syrups were gluten-free.
"Hey, Sil! Did you dye your hair again?"
Silver's eyes widened as she ran her fingers through her light-brown hair, gray strands at the tips shimmering against the sun filtering through the window.
"I did! One of these days, I'll be able to dye all of it." She giggled and grabbed a cup and a blue marker, a beaming grin on her face. "Same as always?"
Chase dug the cash from his pocket and nodded before leaning against the counter. "You know me so well! It's been a morning already, so can you add an extra shot in there?"
Silver nodded, scribbling on the cup. Chase rocked on his heels before stepping to the side, even if he was the only one in line.
As Silver began working on his drink, the chime above the cafe door rang, pulling Chase's attention.
"You!" Chase gasped as Mister Mall Goth walked up to the counter.
"Hm?"
The wickedly attractive eyebrow raise was back again, surely set to haunt Chase's dreams. He took a deep breath, composing himself and preparing to be the bigger person.
"You left class so fast! I didn't even get a chance to properly introduce myself. I'm Chase."
Chase held the man's gaze as he extended his hand between them.
Blue eyes narrowed. Chase slowly moved forward, an air of awkwardness creeping over him. Rather than reciprocate a friendly handshake, the goth folded his arms over his chest and turned to face Silver.
"Black coffee. I'm in a rush." He slammed exact change onto the counter and stomped toward the back of the cafe.
Oh, he did not just ignore me and snap at Sil!
Chase wasn't an angry person, but everything inside of him burned with complete annoyance at this guy. He was dangerously close to asking where emo boy got the audacity to be so rude when Silver tapped him on the shoulder, coffee in hand.
"Don't worry about him, Chase," she whispered, leaning close with a genuine smile. "Remember, you never know what someone is going through. I never take it personally when customers are short with me."
Chase released a deep breath, wrapping his hands around the warm cup of fresh coffee.
"You're right, Sil. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
If Chase could apply this to his aggravating classmate, then he wouldn't feel so frustrated. Perhaps the guy really was going through something and had an off day. Chase could show compassion. He was very good at it.
"Was that him?" Danielle scoffed, arching her eyebrow as Chase dropped himself into the booth next to her.
"Good luck with that, my dude. That was brutal," Simon added with a smirk.
"Shut up," Chase grumbled, taking a sip of his much-needed beverage. "Silver pointed out that maybe he was just cranky. People get cranky."
Next time we meet, Buddy, I'll be more understanding. Chase thought as he carefully pulled out his laptop. Just you wait.